Pooch Snubs The Matzoh Ball, Spring Must Be Near


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Back off Punx a New York pooch is vying for position
as the annual prognosticator of spring.

Bandit, a Jack Russell terrier, turned up his snout Tuesday at a matzoh
ball presented to him at Ben's Kosher Deli in Manhattan, confirming that
spring is near.

If Bandit had eaten the dumpling, New Yorkers would have braced for six
more weeks of winter, organizers of the event said.

Bandit's appearance occurred on Groundhog Day, when a more famous
prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, failed to see his shadow in
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, meaning spring is around the corner.

It was held as an adjunct to the deli's annual matzoh ball-eating contest
to benefit the Interfaith Nutrition Network, which feeds the hungry in New
York and Long Island.

The victor of that event was Russell Machover, a 41-year-old Harvard
educated investment banker from Jericho, Long Island.

In five minutes and 25 seconds, Machover ate more than 11 of the
tennis-ball-sized matzoh meal, egg and chicken-fat dumplings that are
usually in chicken soup. He ate 5-1/2 more in an 85-second runoff after
the first heat resulted in a tie.

The key? "Stay focused," he intoned.

Despite adopting the demeanor of a pro wrestler before the contest,
Machover, pale and wheezing, barely made it to the five-minute mark. After
recovering and going on to victory, he was back in wrestler form.

"We came to conquer and we conquered," he hollered, arms thrust into the
air. A few minutes later he was barking into a cellphone, ready to resume
his role as one of Wall Street's Masters of the Universe.

What about the matzoh balls? "My wife makes 'em better," he said.